Hydrocarbon-burner



No. 752,900. PATBNTED FEB. 23, 1904 W. E. GIBBS.

HYDROCARBON BURNER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 17, 1903.

no MODEL. 2 sums-51mm 1.

L W) l $4 B WITNESSES nv VEN T0,?

ATTORNEYS.

No. 752,900. PATENTED FEB. 23, 1904.

"W. E. GIBBS.

HYDROGARBUN BURNER. APPLICATION FILED nun. 1 1'. 190s. no MODEL. v 2sums-sum a.

rim-752,900.

UNITED STATES Patented February 23, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. GIBBS, or FANWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR or ONE- HALF TO HENRYBERG, or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

HYDROSCARBON-BURNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,900, dated February23, 1904.

Applicatiim filed March 17, 1903. Serial In. 148,170; on model.) i

To alt whom it may concern;

Be it known'that 1, WILLIAM E. GIBBs, acitizen of the 'United States,residing at Fanwood, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHydrocarbon-Burners, of which the following is a' specification.

My invention relates to improvements in burners for the heavy oils andhydrocarbons.

The object of my invention is to burn oils in such a manner as toconvert into useful work the maximum amount of heat unitsexistingtherein and to accomplish thisend by means of simple and durabledevices.

In the economical combustion of the heavy oils it is necessary to reducethem to a'state of minute subdivision, or, in other-words, to convertthe oil into the form of a spray or vapor. It is further necessary tomix therewith. the requisite volume of airfor combustion. Heretofore thesubdivision of the oil has been accomplished in one of two ways. Eitherthe oil has been vaporized by heat in a retort under pressure andejected therefrom in such manner as to induce a flow of air for itscombustion or it has been projected as a spray by means of a steam orcompressed-air jet, which also induced an air-current for supplying thenecessary oxygen. With the light distillates, such as gasolene orbenzin, the first method answers well; but when heavy oils are used theretort soon becomes clogged with a deposit of carbon and fails to work.The alternative method requires the use of an aircompressor, since asteam-jet; is found to cool the flame, and generally a blower to carrythe combustible mixture to the point of ignition in a thoroughly mingledcondition, Many burners have beendevised in which the mix: ture of airand spray (or vapor) impinged upon curved metal pieces with the objectof obtaining a whirling 'fl'ame. It has also been proposed heretofore toobtain a more perfect interniingling of the spray or vapor and air bycausing a whirling current of air to take up the spray or vapor, thecurrents being whirled in opposite directions. Such devices are notadapted to produce a whirling flame.

The construction of my burner is shown by the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 shows one form of my burner in vertical section. Fig. 2is a' plan thereof. Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view of a'modifiedform of the device. l i v In the form of burner shown in Figs. 1 and 2,A is a metal cylinder open at both ends and having a plate or partitionD near its top pierced by a centrally located hole B. De:

pending from plate D and kept at a proper distance by lugs E E is acircular box F, containin g a steam-turbine G and having a steam-'supply H, jet J so inclined to the radius of turbine G as to cause saidturbine G to rotate when steam is blown from the jet J, andeXhaust-pipeK. The representation of jet J is diagrammatic .and does not show theturn therein. The

shaft Zof the turbine g is'extended upwardly through the hole Bandcarries upon it a disk M. Said disk has upon its lower face radialridges or vanes N, which act as fan-blades when the disk is revolved bythe turbine G and draw air from the bottom of the cylinder A'past theturbine-box F, through the hole B,

and throw itout in the form of a strong blast y from the top of thecylinder at C G. Oil is fed through the pipe 0 by way of the hollowupper end of the :shaft L to the center of the plate M, from which it isviolently projected as a fine spray into the issuing current of air. Anyparticles of oil which succeed in crossing the gap between the disk Mand the cylinder A strike with such force against .the'wall of saidcylinder near the point C that they are still further broken up andrebound into the air-blast. When the burner is in operation, the Wallsof the cylinder at C become so hot that any excess of oil is vaporizedimmediately upon reaching them.

The operation of theburner'is as followsi Steam is turned into the pipeH, whereby the turbine and fan are put in rapid rotation. A burningtorch or other igniting device is placed near the burner and the oilturned into the pipe 0. Almost immediately the spray is thrown out fromdisk M and takes fire from the torch. The rotation of the disk causesthe flame to whirl violently, thereby thoroughly -mixing the burningvapors with the air necessary for combustion.

A large white flame, burning without smoke, results from this thoroughmingling. Moreower, the air which surrounds the outside of the cylinderis drawn up with'the whirling flame and adds to'its in tensity.

In using this burner in furnaces or under boilers it is preferable tosurround the burner with a wall of fire-brick, which soon becomesincandescent and serves to relight the burner when for any cause theflame is temporarily extinguished. It is also desirable to carry theexhaust-steam from the turbine into the smokestack, where it increases.the draft of the chimney. 5

It will be seen by Fig. 1 that the oil is fed to the disk by way of thehollow upper part ofthe turbine-shaft, whereby the upper bearing of isaid shaft islubricated by the oil on its way to the disk M. Said upperbearing V becomes Y 0 instead of discharging on' the uppersur-.

veryhot when the burner is in use, which necessitates a constant flow ofoil over it. The lower turbine-bearing is lubricated from an oil-cup(not shown) which supplies the pipe X.

The oil is fed through pipe 0 either bya pump or by slightly elevatingthe oil-supply. In Fig. 3, however, I have illustrated a form of thedevice adapted to itself cause the flow of the hydrocarbon. In this thesupply-pipe 1 face of the disk M discharges into radial pa's sages ortubes M, which when theshaft L is spun by the turbine G discharge thehydrocarbon centrifugally in the annular air-pas- 1 sage between thedisk M and edge C, so acting as a pump to draw hydrocarbon from thechamber Z. Here the air-inlet instead of being at the bottom of cylinderA is in the form,

In both forms of the invention shown the disk M prevents the directupward rush of air and of a pipe or passage I. of large diameter.

confines it to the annular space between the disk and the edge 0 ofcylinder A, resulting under the action of the fan-vanes N in a whirlingcoiiical flame. disposed over the disk.

I am aware that 'it has been proposed to utilize an air-blast on its wayto the burner to spin oil-distributing surfaces located in the airpassage, thus bringing the oil film in contact Letters Patent, is-

with the air repeatedly and by frictional action causing a.certainamount of rotary action of the air; but the arrangement was suchas to cause no centrifugal action of the air or oil,- the speed ofrotation being insufiicient unless the air was supplied in suchquantities and under such pressure as to prevent the maintenance ofcombustion. Furthermore, the aircurrents in such device were so directedas to oppose each other at the point. of exit from the burner, anarrangement not adapted to the production of the whirling flame, whichit is my object to obtain.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire-to secure by 1. In a hydrocarbonburner, the combination of acasing, a turbine therein, means for admitting an operating fluid tosaid turbine,,

a suitable exhaust-outlet for said fluid to a point without the. burner,and a revolving fan at the point of combustion and connected with 7 saidturbine. '2. In a hydrocarbon-burner, the combination of aturbine withmeans of supplying fluid for driving same, a centrifugating diskconnected therewith for spraying a hydrocarbon, and a f for producing awhirling motion in the air t the point of combustion, substanstantiallyas set forth.

3. In a hydrocarbon-burner, the combination of a turbine with means ofsupplying fluid for-driving same, a centrifugating device forlocity forwhirling the air in a spiral at the point of combustion, substantiallyas set forth. WM. E. GIBBS.

'Witnesses:-

HARRY E. KNIGHT,

J Gamma.

